The Princess of Wales has a loyal yet discreet group of close friends she can count on.

Kate, 42, is undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy after post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January found she had cancer. The future queen said in her emotional and heartfelt televised statement on Friday that having Prince William by her side is a "great source of comfort and reassurance".

The Princess being supported by her husband and her close family - parents Carole, 69, and Michael, 74, sister Pippa, 40, and brother James, 36. Here is a look at some of the people Kate has been photographed enjoying time with during her time in the public eye.

Sophie Carter
Kate next to close pal Sophie Carter at Wimbledon (
Image:
Getty Images)

Sophie Carter is believed to be one of Kate's closest friends, and the two women are often pictured out and about together. Sophie is Princess Charlotte's godmother and spends lots of time with the family. They've also been on holiday together, taking their families skiing back in 2016.

Sophie is a regular at royal weddings as she also made the guest list for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day. She has also joined the royals at a Christmas church service in Sandringham and has been spotted at other social events, including Wimbledon.

Sophie used to date one of Prince William's best friends, Thomas van Straubenzee, another of Charlotte's godparents, however things didn't work out. In 2018, she married Robert Snuggs with Prince George acting as a pageboy and Charlotte as a bridesmaid.

Lady Laura Meade
Kate with pal Lady Laura Meade and fellow friend Zoe Warren (
Image:
Getty Images)

Lady Laura Meade is another of Kate's closest friends with the pair meeting through their husbands. Laura's other half, James, is a good pal of William with both men playing roles at each other's weddings - William was an usher at James' ceremony while James gave a speech at the royal nuptials. Both couples have kids with Laura being a godmother to Prince Louis and James being a godfather to Charlotte.

Emilia Jardine-Paterson
Emilia Jardine-Paterson, who has been friends with Kate since her school days (
Image:
AFP)
Emilia, who is an interior designer, with her husband David (
Image:
Rex)

Emilia Jardine-Paterson has been a friend of Kate's since their school days, with both women formerly attending Marlborough College. Their friendship appears to have stood the test of time, with Emilia taking Kate on a girls' trip to Ibiza after the now Prince and Princess of Wales briefly split in 2007.

Mum-of-three Emilia, who is a godmother to George, is married to husband David and she runs her own interior design company. She is even said to have helped Kate when it came to redecorating her country retreat of Anmer Hall.

Hannah Carter
Hannah Carter, centre, with her husband Robert at Prince Louis' christening (
Image:
PA)
Hannah is one of Louis' godmothers (
Image:
Getty Images)

Another of Kate's close pals from school is Hannah Carter, who also went to the prestigious Marlborough College. Hannah and Kate's friendship has remained largely out of the public spotlight - although she is one of Louis' godmothers. Both William and Kate attended Hannah's wedding in 2012 to wealthy landowner Robert Carter - with the nuptials taking place on the royal couple's first wedding anniversary.

Trini Foyle

Kate's bestie from her time at Marlborough College is Trini Foyle. Trini and Kate met when they were around 14 - and both headed to Scotland for university, although Trini went to Edinburgh, where she studied politics.

She previously worked in the office of Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt and is married to husband Ted Foyle. Trini has a son called Alexander, who is similar in age to George, and it has been reported the two mums had been spotted on playdates together with their children in Kensington Palace Gardens.

Pippa Matthews
Kate at Wimbledon with her sister Pippa and sister-in-law Meghan Markle (
Image:
PA)

Meanwhile, Kate's girl gang wouldn't be complete without her younger sister Pippa. Pippa, who is two years younger, is married to hedge fund manager James Matthews and they have three children together - Arthur, Grace and Rose. The sisters also have a younger brother James, who married his French wife Alizée Thevenet in a simple ceremony in the south of France in 2021.

The two sisters were incredibly close growing up with Pippa famously being her older sibling's maid of honour at her 2011 royal wedding. And repaying the favour, Kate also carried out the role at Pippa's nuptials several years later. Speaking on the Today show in the US in 2014, Pippa once remarked: "We're very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other's opinions and things."

The Duchess of Edinburgh
Kate with Sophie on Garter Day last year (
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

When it came to learning the ropes of royal life, Sophie was a huge support to Kate and they've remained close ever since. Despite their 17-year age gap, the two royal women are often seen laughing and joking at events and have even carried out joint engagements for their shared passions.

One thing that Sophie and Kate may have bonded over is the fact they both had relatively normal upbringings. Sophie grew up in a middle-class family like Kate without any of the trappings of royalty. Both women attended regular schools and had experience of holding down normal jobs before marrying into the Firm.

Before Sophie married Edward in 1999, she worked in PR, while before Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011, she was an accessories buyer at fashion chain Jigsaw. On marrying their husbands, both women also had to learn to navigate royal life and carry out engagements, with both now being seen as major assets to the Firm.